PGT: WJC Gold Medal Game | Finland Win Gold Over USA 3-2 | Part II

[Riseonfire]

It being a 1 goal game real sours this. I'd be be happy for Finland (they had a great tourny) had they won by more, but I can't help feeling a bit ripped off. That WallE goal should have counted.

 

[ijk]

Why the heck is the World Cup Canadian?

Bettman is American. Most of the NHL Governors are American.

Most Canadians hated the 2016 World Cup which is evidenced by the lack of people watching and the lack of tickets sold.

Canadians didn’t want to see their best player on a different team. I’m sure fams of the USA was annoyed by having half their strength on the U-23 team.

I admit, I am in the wrong on this one.

The World Cup’s faults were more based on maximizing revenue by adding artificial teams, which really ruined it for me. Although I must admit that team NA U23 was fun to watch.

I’m just hoping for the Olympics to arrive.

And yes, I swerved to the post-truth era by mistake just because I got tired of reading the same stuff that we read after every hockey tournament where Canada (and or the best team) doesn’t win.

Ps. This tournament wasn’t for some reason as entertaining as some of the previous ones. This is a subjective view, but to me the top-of-the-top just wasn’t as mesmerizing as in some other competitions (like Finland’s 2016 team.) The Canada Finland game of that tournament still is to me the best game I have ever seen with the skill level being really high.

Or maybe I’m just not as emotionally invested to these younglings.

 

[Whalers Fan]

It being a 1 goal game real sours this. I'd be be happy for Finland (they had a great tourny) had they won by more, but I can't help feeling a bit ripped off. That WallE goal should have counted.

While I agree that goal should have counted, that play happened in the first period. The US had plenty of time to overcome the call. They were lackluster offensively until they fell behind 2-0, and then finally kicked things into another gear to tie the game. However, after that 2nd American goal, the team took it's foot off the gas again. About 10 seconds before Finland scored the winning goal, I said "the Fins are going to score here". You could just see it coming.

Congrats, Finland. You played well, and deserved the victory.

 

[Mestaruus]

Show us some pictures? Can imagine if Ice hockey is the biggest sport in Finland.

If it was summer the celebration by the public would be greater, but now I think there won't be that much of it. So I'm afraid there's not that much good footage of it that you are seeking.

 

[Sentinel]

Congratulations to Team Finland! A truly phenomenal run. A team of destiny. Would not be denied.

 

[NyQuil]

I admit, I am in the wrong on this one.

The World Cup’s faults were more based on maximizing revenue by adding artificial teams, which really ruined it for me. Although I must admit that team NA U23 was fun to watch.

I’m just hoping for the Olympics to arrive.

And yes, I swerved to the post-truth era by mistake just because I got tired of reading the same stuff that we read after every hockey tournament where Canada (and or the best team) doesn’t win.

Ps. This tournament wasn’t for some reason as entertaining as some of the previous ones. This is a subjective view, but to me the top-of-the-top just wasn’t as mesmerizing as in some other competitions (like Finland’s 2016 team.) The Canada Finland game of that tournament still is to me the best game I have ever seen with the skill level being really high.

Or maybe I’m just not as emotionally ilvesten to these younglings.

We’re all annoyed that the NHL f***ed up the Olympics.

It would have been funny if Germany had won in 2018 but really it’s a footnote.

It’s all good - I also find it annoying that the first thing my fellow Canadians do after watching someone else wins a championship is assert their superiority.

It’s petty.

You guys are the winners and well-deserved winners at that.

 

[member 305909]

I complained at the start of the tournament that the tournament-format is stupid. I dont complain any more.

 

[torniojaws]

A complete exaggeration.

Do tell me where one could skate outside from November to April in Espoo?

 

[ijk]

We’re all annoyed that the NHL ****ed up the Olympics.

It would have been funny if Germany had won in 2018 but really it’s a footnote.

It’s all good - I also find it annoying that the first thing my fellow Canadians do after watching someone else wins a championship is assert their superiority.

It’s petty.

You guys are the winners and well-deserved winners at that.

I am not a winner, but thanks.

Good talk. Take care

 

[NyQuil]

I am not a winner, but thanks.

Good talk. Take care

Meant to say “your” guys.

 

[RorschachWJK]

Best athletes in Finland play hockey. It's the most popular sport by a mile.

Best athletes in the USA have a lot of other options for sports to play. More accessible options. More practical options based on location, culture, and income level.

So the fact we are competing in hockey against other nations top athletes and coming away with the silver is pretty impressive imho.

It's not quite that simple in Finland. First of all, not everybody can afford to play hockey, as it's very expensive. Then you also need to look at a couple major, global sports where Finland is doing extremely well for it's size: basketball and volleyball. A large number of people in Finland play those. On top of that, we also have a bunch of "local" sports that do draw a lot of people, also talented ones (floor ball, Finnish baseball). And the above only lists team sports...

 

[king89]

As somebody said, a team of destiny. This Finnish team was destined to win. Just look at the Canada game.

 

[Hntz]

Do tell me where one could skate outside from November to April in Espoo?

The outside ice in Leppävaara opened in November. Not sure if it'll last until April though.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

Congrats Finland, well deserved.
Well deserved silver for US as well.

Well deserved nothing for Canada .

 

[Akustiikka]

Hockey is clearly the biggest and most important sport in Finland, especially now because finns suck in any other sport there is. Hockey is as important to finns, as it is to canadians. Many people dont watch finnish league. The level there is not that high and talented players go elsewehere, but when it comes to international tournaments, the pressure to succeed is huge, and finns celebrate victories like no other.

Sadly there is a downside to this. Finns in the past have been too afraid to loose, but gladly it doesnt seem to be the case for the future superstars.

 

[Halla]

pretty glad to see the finns win after all the americans taking shots on tsn,sportsnet etc

 

[member 305909]

I googled the history of this competition as I must admit to my shame I really cant remember past tournaments other than those which Finland won and to my surprise I found out that the USA has won this competition quite many times.

It was a surprise given how the USA never get past semis at the senior level of the IIHF worlds.

 

[Stubu]

And Ingrian, Veps, Votic etc

Oh yes, the other lovely Uralic ("west of Urals") languages. Unfortunately these are hard to find nowadays, the speaker communities have had kind of a tough history. Sámi in the Lapland region is having something of a small revival?

 

[Urbanskog]

Do tell me where one could skate outside from November to April in Espoo?

My point is that climate data disagrees with your assessment.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Congrats Fins!

 

[Lepardi]

Soccer and floorball have a lot of amateur partitioners but nobody actually cares about floorball as a competetive sport

The floorball World Championships final against Sweden one month ago peaked at 683,000 viewers on TV. That's less than a third of what a men's ice hockey final would draw but it's a lot better than nothing. The attendance in that gold medal game in Prague was over 16,000 and there were a lot of Finns among those people.

The fall of 2014 was also a pretty special time for Finnish team sports. 5,000 Finns traveled to Poland to see Finland play in the volleyball World Championships, and simultaneously there were 10,000 of us in Spain supporting our basketball team in the World Cup. The opposing teams usually had about 200 fans present.

The domestic leagues in all of these three sports only draw a few hundred spectators per game though.

 

[Ban Hammered]

The member measuring over teenage hockey is hilarious.

 

[Wings4Life]

While I agree that goal should have counted, that play happened in the first period. The US had plenty of time to overcome the call. They were lackluster offensively until they fell behind 2-0, and then finally kicked things into another gear to tie the game. However, after that 2nd American goal, the team took it's foot off the gas again. About 10 seconds before Finland scored the winning goal, I said "the Fins are going to score here". You could just see it coming.

Congrats, Finland. You played well, and deserved the victory.

I was at the game, ice level. Goal was good, it was a bad call that cost the USA big time.

 

[SotasicA]

Most Canadians hated the 2016 World Cup which is evidenced by the lack of people watching and the lack of tickets sold.

Ratings were not bad, and attendance was double that of the 2014 Olympics.

 

[Dominance]

Best athletes in Finland play hockey. It's the most popular sport by a mile.

Best athletes in the USA have a lot of other options for sports to play. More accessible options. More practical options based on location, culture, and income level.

So the fact we are competing in hockey against other nations top athletes and coming away with the silver is pretty impressive imho.

America has far, far more registered hockey players. Almost equivalent to Canada.